In the Kitchen
by elenniel
Summary: Sanji's gone to Whole Cake Island, and Nami slips into the kitchen because it's the best reminder of him. (Chapters 1-3 written specifically for SanNami Week 2016: Day 2 - Presence.)
1. 1: Sanji's Room

**A/N: Written for SanNami Week 2016. Day 2 Prompt -** ** _Presence_** **.**

 **Took the idea of "presence" and ran with it... and ended up with something longer than I thought I would. ^^**

* * *

 **I: Sanji's Kitchen**

Nami slipped into the kitchen-cum-dining room of the Thousand Sunny and closed the door behind her. She ran a hand over the stove and stood there for a long moment.

The room reminded her of Sanji. Just as Franky had his workshop, she had her orange grove, and Chopper had his little infirmary, Sanji had the kitchen. It was _his_ domain. The place even smelled of him still – his favourite spices, the scented hand wash he always used after cleaning the kitchen, and the smell of his cigarettes.

 _Will he ever come back here?_

She idly opened one of the cupboards and saw several boxes inside with handwritten labels on them. One was labelled: "Luffy." She opened that one and found some biscuits inside. They smelled distinctly of… Meat.

 _Meat-flavoured biscuits? What does he think Luffy is, a dog or somethi-_ _Well, that makes sense, actually. Luffy does like his meat._

The biggest box was labelled: "Others." In this one was an assortment of biscuits. It looked like there were some with strawberry jam, some with chocolate chips, some with what looked like sugar frosting, and some that were just plain biscuits without any additions at all. She wondered vaguely which types Zoro preferred – or if Sanji bothered to give him a choice in the first place. She wouldn't have been surprised if Sanji gave him the plainest ones, nor would she have been surprised if Zoro didn't notice the difference. He didn't seem like a biscuit person.

The third box had a label that read "The Ladies." Nami smiled slightly at the single accompanying heart doodled in the corner of the label. It was a silly little thing, something that Sanji _would_ do. She opened the box.

The box was divided into two sections. Clearly one was for Robin and one was for herself. Robin's half had square-shaped cookies that had delicate, neatly-drawn crisscrossing lines of cream on them. Were they supposed to look like poneglpyhs?

In her half of the box were biscuits with which she was very familiar. Sanji often came prancing up to the deck or to the library to hand her a refreshing drink accompanied by a treat, and that treat was often those very biscuits. Round, orange-flavoured biscuits.

All of a sudden, she felt like crying.

She closed the box, clutched it to her chest and sat down in the nearest chair.

 _If Sanji's going to be married, will he come back like he said he would? And if he does come back, will he come back with his… Wife? His_ wife _._

The words did not sit well with Nami. Almost absent-mindedly she took out a biscuit from the box and nibbled at it.

 _Or maybe he'll get engaged and tell the Pudding girl that he'll come back and marry her later – once Luffy is Pirate King? What is that Pudding girl like, anyway? Maybe she's ugly. No. No, she's definitely going to be some really beautiful girl and then Sanji-kun won't be able to resist her. Stupid Sanji._

The biscuit in her hand snapped in half under the sudden pressure from her fingers. She hurriedly picked up the fallen pieces and tried to pick up what crumbs she could from the floor.

 _"Nami-san! Don't mind the crumbs. I'll clean them up later. You just sit there and enjoy the biscuits. It's only a few small crumbs anyway."_

Nami looked up and promptly hit her head on the underside of the table. She sat on the floor and rubbed her head, grimacing. She could have sworn she actually _heard_ him. But of course she hadn't.

"I'm so stupid," she muttered. She got up and resumed her seat, not caring that she had dropped the crumbs back onto the floor when she had bumped her head.

It was this room. It reminded her of him. That's why she had come in the first place. He was gone, but this room was still full of him. If she closed her eyes she could really imagine that he was there too, preparing something for her to eat...

The door opened, and she gave a little start. Robin poked her head in.

"Oh, Nami. Here you are. I wondered where you'd gone."

Nami smiled – or tried to smile – at Robin, and said, "I thought I'd, uhm, get something to eat."

"And you found something, I see." Robin took a chair beside her and looked at the box. "Are those the biscuits that Cook-san makes for us?"

Nami nodded. She pushed the box towards Robin. "Help yourself."

Robin reached for one of the poneglyph-biscuits. "Are you alright, Nami?"

"Huh? Yes. A little bit tired after… Everything that's happened. It's been a hectic few days, you know."

But even as she spoke, Nami knew she didn't sound convincing. She drew her legs up on the chair and hugged her knees.

"Really?"

There was a long pause. Then Nami said, "No. No, I'm not, Robin." And she burst into tears.

Everything after Dressrosa came rushing back to her. Escaping from the Big Mom Pirates, Chopper's having to keep patching up Sanji's bandages because he _would_ move around more than he should (Sanji argued that he had no choice as he was in charge for the time being and could hardly do that from his bed), arriving at Zou, discovering of the Minks and the destruction wrought by Jack, helping to take care of the injured, and then – Capone. Capone and Pekoms. The tea party invitation. And Sanji's history. And Sanji going away with Capone.

And that one night in the kitchen, before they arrived at Zou.


	2. 2: That Night in the Kitchen

**II: That Night in the Kitchen**

Nami had just come off watch duty and was heading down to her bedroom to sleep. She passed the kitchen and saw that the lights were on. She peeked into the kitchen and discovered Sanji there, clearly preparing to cook something and – unusually for him – not smoking. Perhaps she should have read the strangeness in his mood just from that last fact alone.

"Sanji-kun, what are you doing? It's nearly three in the morning." She'd glanced at the pot on the stove. It was still empty. A jug of water and some ingredients lay on the counter beside the stove.

He'd looked at her, beamed, and said, "Making a midnight snack! A special pick-me-up stew! Would you like something to eat, Nami-san?"

"Sanji-kun! You really need to rest more. Don't you listen at all to what Chopper says? Your wounds need to heal!" She tried to take away the spoon in his hand.

Much to her astonishment, Sanji jerked his hand away from her and snapped back: "I can't and I _won't_ rest until you're all in a safe place! When we get to Zou, we'll find Law's crew. I'm sure his crew are a capable lot. I can rest then."

Nami gaped at him.

He seemed to recall himself a second later and immediately apologised. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that – not like that, at least. It was rude of me."

"Sanji-kun…"

Sanji put the spoon on the counter top and stuck his hands in his pockets. "I know I should rest. But I can't. Not completely – at this moment. There's too much at stake. Law and Doflamingo… Something's up there. Luffy may be held up at Dressrosa longer than we think. I can't be lying in bed all day now. We're approaching Zou but the Big Mom lot are probably right behind us."

 _He's really worried_.

The realisation struck her forcibly. It was all too easy to think that people as capable as the Monster Trio never worried about anything precisely because they were so strong. Too easy to forget that they were all merely human, despite their inhuman strength.

Nami wanted to tell him that she and Chopper and Brook could handle anything and that he didn't need to worry about them, but she found that she couldn't say it. She knew that none of them were as powerful as Sanji or Luffy or Zoro (although she was quite sure that she and Chopper and Robin were more intelligent than any of them). There was a reason they had automatically declared themselves the "Curly Brow Pirates." They'd all trusted Sanji to lead in Luffy's place, and they had all but thrown the job at him. He would have taken it up regardless, but she had to admit that they had basically agreed that Sanji would be interim captain of their small group. Sanji being Sanji, he would definitely feel that ultimate responsibility lay with him, and he would worry intensely.

Sanji leaned against the counter, fidgeting slightly as though trying to find a comfortable standing position. "If we have the backing of Law's crewmates, that would take some load off my mind. But I need all of you to be safe before I can really rest. I need _you_ to be safe."

"What?" she said. There had been _something_ there in the way he'd said that last sentence that caught her attention.

"Huh?" He blinked at her, then grasped that he'd said more than he intended to and a pink flush came onto his face. "Oh. Uh… I…" He trailed off and looked down at the floor.

A sense of trepidation – and anticipation? – came over her. She suddenly really wanted an explanation from him for what he'd said. Really _really_ wanted one.

"If anything happened to you while I was in charge, I think I'd die."

"Die?"

"Well, maybe I'm exaggerating there," he said a little sheepishly, "but… I really don't want you to be hurt if I can help it, Nami-san."

"Is this some part of your code of chivalry again?" Nami felt her composure return. It looked like it was simply part of his standard behaviour. The _something_ she thought she had heard was probably nothing.

Nami was conscious of a feeling of bitter annoyance at herself. A little voice in her head said, _Why do you care if there was_ something _in his meaning or not?_

Seconds passed without a reply and she felt her heart rate speed up again. Silence? What was the meaning of that?

Sanji seemed to be pondering an answer. He had a faraway look on his face. When he finally spoke again, his answer was: "Yes. And no."

Nami looked at him incredulously. "What does _that_ mean?" she demanded.

"It means," he said, "that yes, I don't want ladies to be hurt – least of all when they're under my care – and that no, I want you safe not just because you're a lady." His voice sounded a tiny bit shaky. "It's because you're you. You're Nami-san. You're the most important person in the world to me."

She didn't know what to say. He glanced at her and looked away again.

"I'm not asking for an answer or anything," Sanji added hurriedly. He ran a hand through his hair, looking embarrassed. "I'm not expecting anything from you. I thought I should say it for once – just in case I don't get to say it some other time."

A wave of emotion swept over her – a wave of oddly subdued happiness. Nami reached up and pressed her lips to his.

Sanji had been too stunned to respond at all. (In hindsight, it was a wonder that he hadn't immediately collapsed in a mushy heap.) When she drew back, he was staring at her, wide-eyed, and gaping like a goldfish.

"You're important to me too, you know," she said in a low voice.

"Nami-san..!"

She prodded him in the chest with a finger. "So don't you _dare_ die on me! Got it?" she said, jokingly, attempting to lighten the solemn mood. "Or I'll make Chopper resurrect you and then I'll have Zoro kill you for me."

Sanji caught hold of the hand that had been poking his chest. "Nami."

Nami looked at him. Gone was the goldfish expression. In its place was a more intent – and rather thrilling – one. He drew her closer to him, bent his head and kissed her.


	3. 3: Girl Talk

**A/N: I thought it needed this short bit to round off the story.  
**

* * *

 **III: Girl Talk**

Robin gently ushered Nami to the couch, where she promptly curled up again and continued crying. Robin patted her back comfortingly.

"What if he doesn't come back, Robin?"

"He will."

"What if he comes back _married_?"

"I doubt that would be the case," said Robin, feeling that her usual mode of humouring the crew's fears by taking the bleak angle wouldn't be suitable here. A line of arms sprouted from the couch to the other side of the room, where one arm grabbed a box of tissues and passed it back down the line to Robin. She handed the box to Nami.

"What if he comes back _engaged_?"

"Most unlikely."

Nami blew her nose. "How do you know?"

"I don't _know_ ," admitted Robin, "but I can make an educated guess."

"But –"

"Nami, my dear, if he was going to be married, I really think there's only one person right now whom Cook-san would want to marry. Don't you think so?"

Nami froze. Robin wondered why.

 _Oh ho. Did something happen between them? Interesting_.

"We know that he's always sweet to the ladies," continued Robin, pretending she hadn't noticed. "But in that respect, hasn't it always been about _you_? Come now. Isn't it always and only you of whom he asks," – she cleared her throat and spoke in (a rather poor) imitation of Sanji – "'Have you fallen in love with me, Nami-swan?'"

Nami couldn't help a giggle amidst the tears. "You weren't made to be an impressionist, Robin." She rubbed the back of one hand across her eyes.

Robin smiled.

The tears were still flowing, though less than before. Robin stroked Nami's hair. "Don't worry."

Another line of arms dragged a rubbish bin over to where they say. One hand popped up from the couch and swept the small (still-growing) pile of used tissues into the bin.

"I can't help but worry," sobbed Nami.

"I know."

Several moments later, Nami said, "Robin."

"Yes?"

"I miss him."

Robin resisted the urge to say, "Awww, I know, dear." She had guessed as much when she found Nami in the kitchen with the box of biscuits on the table.

"He'll come back. And he won't be married. Or engaged."

Nami gave her a small, teary-eyed smile. "Promise?"

"Well, I can't promise that but how about this – if we find him married or engaged, I promise that this Pudding girl will 'accidentally' be lost at sea?"

Nami chuckled and wiped her eyes. "You can be so funny, Robin." She drew in a deep breath and tried to blink away the remaining tears. "If Sanji-kun comes back married or engaged, I think I might throw him overboard myself."

"Not strike him dead with lightning?"

"Okay, that's probably a better option."

They laughed.

An arm appeared on the table and threw the box of biscuits over. Robin caught the box and opened it. "Have a biscuit, Nami." 

* * *

**THE END**


	4. 4: Not in the Kitchen

**A/N: In other words, what I wish would happen after this whole mad thing about Sanji is resolved - if it's resolved in the way I want it to be. That is, no marriage or engagement or anything to Pudding! But my hopes are low...**

 **Wasn't sure if I should post this as a separate, sequel story to "In the Kitchen" but eventually decided to just add it on since it's directly connected.**

 **This may or may not be revised along the way or once the arc is done. (In all likelihood, by the time it's over I won't be bothered to alter anything here, but who knows?)**

* * *

 **IV: Not in the Kitchen**

Nami made her way up to where her precious trees stood on the deck. The last few days had been utterly exhausting, and she felt like she needed to just stand in her mini-grove for a while and breathe in the smell of oranges and the night air.

To her surprise, she found Sanji standing at the railing in the gap between the two rows of trees. He seemed to be staring out at something in the distance. A thin wisp of smoke floated up from the cigarette he was smoking.

"Sanji-kun?"

He wheeled round on his heel, much faster than she thought he could have, considering he was injured. The suddenness of the action and his posture suggested that he was still on edge. Completely understandable, she thought, given that they had only just managed to get him out of the clutches of his crazy family and the equally crazy (in a different way) Big Mom Pirates barely twenty-four hours before.

But when he saw her, he relaxed immediately. "Nami-san!" he said. "You scared me there for a moment."

She noticed that he shifted to rest his weight more on one leg than the other and leaned back on the railing.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to. Just… Didn't expect to see you here." She gestured to the grove and then to the nearby bench. "Don't you want to sit down?"

Sanji waved a hand in dismissal. "I'm all right for now. As for why I'm here… I just thought I'd come up here for a bit. Haven't been here in a while." He touched the nearest leaf with a finger, and watched it bob up and down.

It was a small action, but it caused a huge wave of relief to wash over her. Sanji was _there_. He was back.

Nami took five steps forward and flung her arms around him, startling him enough that he dropped his cigarette. "I'm so glad…" She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

 _What, I can't even speak in full sentences now?_ She felt slightly foolish.

Then Sanji folded his arms around her, and she felt his head tilt so his cheek was pressed against her hair. "Me too," he said, softly.

Nami thought she would cry. She blinked hard, trying to make the tears she felt welling up to stay put. A choked feeling came into her throat. Talk. She had to talk. Otherwise she really would start crying, and she had been doing rather too much crying lately. So she talked.

"I was so scared. I was afraid you'd go through with it – marry her, get engaged, _something_. I didn't know if you would come back. Or – or – if you did, maybe you'd come back married, and bring her with you…"

Oh crap, she was going to cry anyway. She drew in a long, shaky breath and pressed the heel of her hand to each of her eyes in turn, willing herself to _not_ cry.

Sanji's arms tightened around her back. Several silent moments passed.

"You haven't lost me, Nami-san."

She turned and nodded, burying her face in his neck. One tear defied her command to stay put and stubbornly ran down her cheek and landed on the collar of his shirt.

Sanji said nothing for a while. He just continued to hold her, showing no signs of having heard the small half-stifled sniffs or of feeling a few more tiny wet spots form on his shoulder.

"I had no intention getting married or even getting engaged to her," he murmured. "But there were things that needed sorting out, so I had to go. And I needed to get all of you out and away from Capone first, or he – they – could have used you against me."

"I know."

"I didn't plan to die either."

"You could have though," said Nami in a small voice.

There was a long pause.

"I could have," he said with a note of solemnity. "But I didn't." He drew back a little so he could look at her. "Largely thanks to the princess rousing the king and the knights of her house to come and rescue the prince. That's what Chopper tells me, anyway."

Nami flushed and looked away. "I – I didn't really do anything."

He brushed some strands of hair away from her eyes. "I wasn't likely to die though. _Someone_ ordered me not to die. Or she'd have me brought back to life and killed again by a _marimo_ -head who has no sense of direction, and I can't let _that_ happen. That would be humiliating!"

She made a face at him. "A well-deserved punishment, I'd say."

"You break my heart, Nami-san!" he exclaimed, dramatically clasping a hand over his chest.

She rolled her eyes at his theatrics though she smiled all the same.

He smiled too, but his serious demeanour returned and his hand came up to caress her face. "I'm not that easy to lose, you know. You're kind of stuck with me now."

"Am I?"

"Yup."

"That doesn't sound too bad."

"Good."

Sanji kissed her then, cradling her face in the one hand, while the other held her close.

The kiss was soft and slow, but oh, _so_ electrifying. It was completely different from the kiss in the kitchen before Zou. That one had been both intense and a little awkward, born of the delight and surprise of finding out that feelings were mutual, plus a slight clumsiness that betrayed lack of experience on both sides. (She wasn't sure about him, but, as Nami had mused later, when was the last time _she_ had kissed someone like that?) It had also carried with it a tinge of the strain that both – especially Sanji – were experiencing at the time, running from the pursuing Big Mom crew and heading to an unfamiliar island to find an unfamiliar allied crew. This kiss was unlike the previous one. It was an apology, a reunion, and a promise. No strain here, only deep, deep relief.

The night air was cool and there was a slight breeze blowing that made it feel colder, but Nami hardly noticed it in the delightful warmth of Sanji's arms and lips. She was thankful that she had been leaning on him to begin with because it felt like her legs were turning into jelly, and her arms weren't far behind on the jelly scale too.

She was breathless when he finally pulled away.

Releasing her from the circle of his arms, he said, "Much as I really like holding you like this, I kind of need to sit down for a bit now." He moved towards the bench.

"Sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have kept you standing…"

He patted the space beside him. " _That_ is nothing you need to apologise for. Believe me."

Sanji's _real_ smile, the way he was smiling at her then, was utterly charming. She liked it so much better than the more common, obsequious ones he bestowed upon her and every other attractive female he saw. She told him so as she took a seat beside him.

"I'll have to try and stop doing that then." He took her hand and tucked it into his arm.

"Perhaps you should. But I like feeling special. If you smiled like that at every woman, they really would be falling at your feet and I'd be horribly jealous."

"Would you now?" He sounded amused. "Here's a compromise: I'll try to do it less, but I'll reserve the very best ones for you. That way you won't be annoyed, but you won't need to get jealous either?"

"That's acceptable." Nami decided that she really liked the feel of his jacket sleeve against her arm. It was a nice smooth material.

"What do I get in return though?" he asked.

"Hmm." Reaching her other hand up, she turned his face towards her and kissed him. "That?"

He looked like he thought it was more than enough.

.


	5. 5: Back in the Kitchen

**A/N: Just felt like Chapter IV needed this to round it off?  
**

* * *

 **V: Back in the Kitchen**

Sanji had barely been able to open his eyes the next morning. They had sat on the bench amidst the orange trees for a long time, mostly just staring at the sky and talking – he had wanted to know what happened in Dressrosa. Nami had told him what knew about Dressrosa as well as the latest developments regarding Zou and Wano, and there was _a lot_. He had been rather dazed by the sheer amount of information.

Between the stargazing and the talking (and a couple more kisses), it was about three in the morning when they'd decided that sleep was necessary. As a result, Sanji only woke up because Luffy was prying one of his eyes open and calling his name.

"Oi, Sanji! Saaaaaanjiiiii. I'm hungry. It's breakfast time."

He'd groaned and made other unhappy noises and slowly dragged his head off the pillow, but then Chopper had come in and leapt up to hit Luffy on the head.

"Let him sleep!" ordered Chopper. "Sanji needs rest! I'll make you some sandwiches."

"But I want Sanji's food."

"Later!" Chopper hustled Luffy out of the room. "Sanji, go back to sleep and don't worry about him."

"Thanks, Chopper," mumbled Sanji, letting himself fall back into bed. "There are biscuits on the first shelf, if he wants them…"

… … …

It was nearly noon by the time Sanji entered the kitchen. Nami was there, poking about in the fridge.

"Good morning, Nami-san!"

She gave him a smile that elated him. "It's more like 'good afternoon' already, really."

"Good morning, good afternoon, good evening. Whatever it is, it's good." He walked up to her, caught her round the waist and nuzzled her hair. "This must be a dream. I can hardly believe you didn't immediately punch me in the face for this."

Nami shoved him half-heartedly and tried to look irritated, but only succeeded in looking pleased and amused. "You won't get to do that anymore if Luffy doesn't get Sanji-cooked lunch because he'll be so cranky we'll have no peace. He's sulking on the deck because all he had to eat for breakfast were Chopper-made sandwiches and some biscuits. I heard him muttering something about meat and being hungry and 'ungrateful chefs.' That's why I was looking in the fridge – I wondered if I could find any leftovers of yours that we could stuff him with, in case you were still sleeping."

"Ah." Sanji let go of her. He cast his eyes around the kitchen, as if thinking, and began to take out his cooking utensils from various drawers and cupboards. "He did help get me out of quite a fix. He'll find I'm more than grateful. Could you take out the box with the ham in it, Nami-san? Third shelf in the fridge. Also, would you care for some fruit juice?"

He started on lunch after settling Nami at the table with a glass of strawberry lemonade and some ice-cream. He was halfway through cooking the meal when Nami said, "Sanji-kun."

A pinch of salt went into the pot and he turned up the heat on the stove and continued stirring the stew. "Yes, my Nami-san?" The "my" part had slipped out accidentally, but it did sound very agreeable to him when connected with her name. He'd have to use that more often.

"Would you tell me about it? About… Everything?"

"It's a long story."

"I'd like to know, though. If you want to tell me about it sometime, that is. Not necessarily this instant."

He looked round at her. She was gazing at him with a question in her eyes. It occurred to him then that the others were bound to demand the same long story from him eventually. Somehow it felt only right that Nami should hear it directly from him – first. And given their crew's track record with peaceful days, there was no time like the present for it.

"Well," he said, turning back to the stove and checking the stew. It seemed about done. He left it to simmer over a low flame and started on Luffy's favourite meat dish. "I was born in North Blue…"

.


End file.
